Find out how popular the last name Spector is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Spector.

Spector, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Spector surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Spector in America

Spector is the 7221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Spector surname appeared 4,622 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Spector.

We can also compare 2010 data for Spector to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Spector

The surname Spector originates from the medieval Latin word "spectator," which means "watcher" or "observer." It is believed to have first emerged in England during the 13th century.

The earliest known record of the name Spector appears in the Norfolk Pipe Rolls of 1275, where it is spelled "Spectour." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as an occupational surname to someone who worked as a watchman or guard.

By the 14th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, with variations in spelling such as Specter, Spector, and Spectar. It is also found in various historical documents from this period, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379.

One notable early bearer of the surname was John Spectar, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1391. Another was William Spector, mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1428.

The name Spector is derived from the Old French word "espectre," which means "spectator" or "observer." This term likely has its roots in the Latin word "spectrum," meaning "appearance" or "vision."

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Spector became more widespread across England, with records showing various spellings such as Specter, Spector, and Specter. During this time, the name was also found in Scotland and Ireland, likely due to migration and intermarriage.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name in Scotland was Robert Spector, who was born in Fife in 1568. In Ireland, the name Spector appeared in records from the late 16th century, with variations like Specter and Spector.

Notable individuals with the surname Spector throughout history include:

1. Artur Spector (1904-1971), a Polish-American screenwriter and film producer.
2. Phil Spector (1939-2021), an influential American record producer and songwriter, known for his "Wall of Sound" recording technique.
3. Nancy Spector (born 1958), an American curator and museum director.
4. Mikhail Spector (1871-1933), a Russian chess player and theoretician.
5. Isaac Leib Spector (1868-1938), a Russian-born American author and Yiddish writer.

While the origin of the surname Spector can be traced back to medieval times, it has endured and spread across various regions, reflecting the diverse histories and migrations of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Spector

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Spector.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Spector was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Spector has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Spector was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Spector, please contact us.

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